Renee Rupcich is the assistant art director of Men’s Vogue. Though her career has focused on graphic design and publishing (she was also senior designer at fashion/design magazine Surface), she also studied photography and worked as an assistant in photography studios in San Francisco. Lately Renee has cultivated an interest in handcrafts and knitting as well as in socially and environmentally responsible design, and she contributes to the online community DESIGN 21: Social Design Network.

1) What’s concerning you most right now?

Since so many hours of my life are dedicated to a job, I want it to challenge and develop me as a designer. But also I want to educate people, to make them more aware of themselves and the world we live in and to inspire them to take action somehow – whether that’s learning to draw when they’ve never picked up a pencil before or improving the lives of others. I want these concerns to be part of my daily design process so I can feel more connected to the solutions I produce, the people who embrace them, and to myself. I’m trying to figure this out all out right now.

A spread from Surface magazine

2) What accomplishment are you most proud of?

First of all, I’m happy to work in publishing where I can use my graphic design and photography skills to communicate stories visually.

But, what I’m most proud of is my transition from the unremarkable beginnings in Fresno, CA, sketching designs for my high school volleyball team’s t-shirt, to working in New York for the Vogue brand and shaking hands with(editor-in-chief) Anna Wintour. I loved it when I told my mom that I was meeting Anna Wintour and she goes, “That’s really great honey, who’s that?”

The cover of Men’s Vogue

3) What would be your dream project?

For the past two years, in an effort to step away from designing solely on computer and start using my hands, I’ve developed a passion for knitting (YES knitting!). In fact, I’m thinking about owning a farm where I raise alpaca (YES alpaca!) to produce hand-spun yarn and create the amazing knitwear and art pieces that I have in my head.

If anything, I just want to continue to improve on the knitting thing and eventually incorporate it into my design work. It probably sounds weird to hear that someone who works at Conde Nast dreams about living on a farm with smelly animals and knitting all day, but hey at some point it’s time to ditch the labels.

4) Who would be your dream collaborator?

There are many, but going along with my dream project I’d say Sandra Backlund, an amazing fashion designer who emphasizes the handcraft process and the handmade to create really incredible knitwear pieces that become sculptures on the body.

Sandra Backlund: Last Breath Bruises Collection, Photo: Annika Aschberg

Another is the Swedish industrial design group FRONT. I’m very impressed by the ingenuity of this collective of women and the thought that goes into everything they create. Their work is whimsical, elegant and unconventional which is something I rarely see. I’d love be in these two studios watching them work through their design process.

Animal Thing Collection Designed by Front for Moooi: Horse lamp, Pig tray, Rabbit lamp

5) Favorite public space?

The giant sequoia trees near Yosemite. They are immensely humbling and the smell of the forest is palatable. *Sigh*… I miss California.

6) If you quit today what would you do next?

Off the top of my head, I’d try to get a multidisciplinary design studio started. I could get the graphic design, mixing with the knitting, feeding into industrial and product design, which will inspire some socially responsible design project that will need to be photographed – all while being sustainability produced and executed. Whoa… that sounds amazing – anyone ready to sign up?

7) Do you see the glass half full or half empty?

I’d check to see if the glass is hand-blown or mass produced. But if you’re asking if I’m optimistic about the future – of course! There are considerable things to HOPE for and significant CHANGE we can believe in.

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